Department for Transport

Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases of collisions between cyclists and wheeled goods vehicles occurred in each of the last three years; and how many cyclists survived those collisions in each year.

baroness sugg: The Department collects data on personal injury road accidents reported to the police. The table below shows the number of reported road accidents involving at least one pedal cyclist and at least one goods vehicle in Great Britain for the last three years of available data, as well as cyclist casualties by severity resulting from these accidents.   Number of pedal cyclist casualties involvedYearNumber of accidents involving at least one pedal cyclist and at least one goods vehicle1KilledSeriousSlightTotal20151,770273501,3921,76920161,574233001,2571,58020171,467253341,1041,463  1 Van, LGV or HGV  Source: DfT Stats19 On 18 October the Department published a summary of the 14,000 responses received to its Call for Evidence on cycling and walking safety, including issues relating to large vehicles. The Department has recently announced a number of activities to improve the safety, and perception of safety, of cycling and walking: tailored cycle training for driving instructors, support for police in tackling unsafe “close passing”, an update to the National Standard for Cycle Training and, most recently, a review of the Highway Code to include overtaking and opening vehicle doors. The Department will publish its full response to the Call for Evidence in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: EU External Trade

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the impact of the proposed withdrawal ofEU Everything But Arms trade privileges fromBurma on the leadership of the Burmese military, including Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing; and what sanctions have been imposed that are specifically targeted at the leadership of theBurmese military.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Since 2012, when the EU granted Burma duty-free, quota-free market access on "Everything But Arms", EU imports from Burma have risen almost ten-fold, to €1,558 million in 2017. Most of the EU's imports are of textiles and apparel. This has substantially expanded employment opportunities for women in Burma. The direct impact of a decision to suspend preferences and re-introduce tariffs would not be on the military, but on the textile businesses and their employees, including many vulnerable women employed in Burma's garment sector. We are working with Member States, and are in discussions with the Commission, to ensure that the likely impacts are thoroughly considered before any decision is made. The UK was instrumental in renewing and expanding the EU arms embargo on Burma earlier this year, and securing targeted EU sanctions on seven senior members of the Burmese military.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Immigration

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of current levels of migration to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and any consequent impact upon the stability and security of that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK is working with international and EU partners to assess the current levels of migration in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and identify where the UK could provide support. The latest UN figures estimate, as of September, 16,144 refugee and migrant arrivals in 2018, of which 4000 – 4,400 remain in country. We are concerned by attempts by politicians to politicise the migration issue. Along with international partners the UK has urged, BiH politicians to work together to address the challenges posed by migration, rather than use them for political ends.

Department of Health and Social Care

Multiple Births

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to provide financial support to the Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development funded quality improvement programme delivered by the Twins and Multiple Births Association, beyond March 2019.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development (IESD) grant award won by the Twins and Multiple Births Association, received in 2015-16, committed the Department to provide funding until March 2019. As the Department’s funding to the voluntary sector has been reshaped, no further applications to the IESD fund were invited after 2015-16 and projects funded through IESD are all scheduled to reach their conclusion by the end of the current financial year.The Department does not currently have any open competitions for grant funding. Funding for future years is subject to business planning and has not yet been confirmed.

Multiple Births

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of quality improvement programmes aimed specifically at reducing the number of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and neonatal admissions in twin pregnancies; and whether they have any plans to roll such programmes out nationally to fulfil their ambition of halving stillbirths and neonatal deaths by 2025.

lord o'shaughnessy: Through the Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development grant award, the Department funded the Twins and Multiple Births Association Maternity Engagement Project, a quality improvement programme to explore whether increased adherence to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline Quality Standards 46 on Multiple pregnancy: twin and triplet pregnancies would improve the outcomes of families.The Department was interested to see the results of the interim report of this project, which indicate that implementing the NICE guidance can contribute to reducing twin stillbirths, neonatal deaths and neonatal admissions. We look forward to reviewing the final project report, which we understand is due for publication in mid-2019.

Gambling

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord O'Shaughnessy on 1 October (HL10396), what was the geographical breakdown of gambling-related hospital admissions for each of the last five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The volume of finished admissions episodes (FAEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of pathological gambling for the last five years, by commissioning region of treatment, is shown in the following table.Commissioning Region of Treatment2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18North of England Commissioning Region2520202025Midlands and East of England Commissioning Region1010201020London Commissioning Region1535354050South of England Commissioning Region152010*15 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes:A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.In order to protect patient confidentiality '*' appears in the table for all sub-national breakdowns, where it is possible to calculate a value between one and seven from the data presented. All other sub-national data has been rounded to the nearest five.

Department for International Development

International Planned Parenthood Federation: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what non-core funding they provided to the International Planned Parenthood Federation in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18; and what further funding they intend to provide to that Federation in this financial year.

lord bates: In the years 2015-2016 and 2016-17 core funding of £8.6 Million and £6.45 Million respectively was provided to the International Planned Parenthood Federation. No non-core funding was provided in this period. Comparable figures beyond 2017 are not yet available. As part of DFID’s recently announced Women’s Integrated Sexual Health programme (2018-2021), the International Planned Parenthood Federation have been awarded a contract for £132 million.

UNAIDS: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 13 September (HL10038), whether they will provide the requested figures for non-core funding provided to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18.

lord bates: There has been no non-core funding to UNAIDS during the periods mentioned. All funding to UNAIDS in the periods mentioned have been core-funding detailed below as follows:For 2015/16 - £15 million in core fundingFor 2016/17 - £15 million in core fundingFor 2017/18 - £15 million in core funding

Burma: Rohingya

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and Burma to begin repatriation to Burma of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh; what assessment they have made of the impact of that repatriation on those refugees; whether the agreement includes provisions to confer citizenship on returnees; and whether, and if so, how, they plan to monitor the implementation of the agreement.

lord bates: We are seriously concerned at the intention of Bangladesh and Burma governments to begin returns to Rakhine State by mid-November. We have stated publicly that we agree with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that the conditions for safe and dignified returns do not yet exist. The UK continues to raise our concerns at the highest levels with the governments of Bangladesh and Burma. We are working with UNHCR to understand their assessment of and response to the situation.

Burma: Rohingya

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making tothe governments of Bangladesh and Burma regarding the need for consultation with, and agreement from, (1) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and (2) displaced Rohingya people before commencing implementation ofthe recent agreement between those governments to repatriate refugee Rohingya people from Bangladesh to Burma.

lord bates: The Rt Hon Mark Field MP, Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific, has raised our concerns with the Bangladeshi and Burmese foreign ministers following their Governments’ announcement on the 30 October that the repatriation of over 2,000 refugees to Rakhine State would start in mid-November. We have stated publicly that we agree with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that the conditions for safe and dignified returns do not yet exist. UNHCR continue to engage closely with the Rohingya community in Bangladesh to understand their views about returning to Rakhine.

Burma: Rohingya

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) political rights, and (2) living conditions of Rohingya people in (a) Burma, and (b) refugee camps in Bangladesh; and what estimatethey have made of the prospects for thesafety and security of Rohingya people, whether continuing to live in Burma or returning from Bangladesh.

lord bates: The conditions in the camps in Bangladesh and in northern Rakhine remain extremely difficult for the Rohingya people. The Government of Bangladesh do not recognise Rohingya as refugees, making them more vulnerable and increasing their risk of exploitation. In Burma, the Rohingya people suffer from systematic discrimination and persecution, with freedom of movement and access to basic services restricted. DFID’s work in Rakhine aims to improve fundamental freedoms and paths to citizenship for the Rohingya. The UK has agreed publicly with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that the conditions for safe and dignified returns of Rohingya people to Rakhine State do not yet exist.

Developing Countries: Disability

baroness grey-thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for International Development's disability strategy will include the provision of accessible and safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in public places and workplaces.

lord bates: DFID’s future work on disability inclusion will support people with disabilities to access water, sanitation and hygiene services, including in public places and workplaces such as schools and health care facilities.

Developing Countries: Disability

baroness grey-thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for International Development's disability strategy will include investment in menstrual hygiene management.

lord bates: The UK is committed to enabling all girls, women and people who menstruate to manage their periods safely, hygienically and with dignity, allowing them to stay in school and fully participate in society. DFID’s future work on disability inclusion will look at how its investments in menstrual hygiene management can be more disability inclusive.

Developing Countries: Disability

baroness grey-thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for International Development's disability strategy will include the involvement of girls with disabilities in menstrual hygiene related work.

lord bates: DFID’s future work on disability inclusion will involve girls with disabilities in DFID’s menstrual hygiene related work.

Developing Countries: Disability

baroness grey-thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthe Department for International Development's disability strategy will require their water, sanitation and hygiene partners to be disability inclusive.

lord bates: DFID’s future work on disability inclusion will set an expectation on DFID’s partners, including its water, sanitation and hygiene partners, to demonstrate their technical understanding of, and commitment to, disability inclusion.

Department for Education

Intercountry Adoption

lord triesman: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Agnew of Oulton (HL10441 and HL10442) on 12 October, whether they have made any assessment of potential breaches of equalities legislation in any statutory differences to entitlement for priority schools admissions for children adopted from overseas compared with those adopted in the UK from care, in particular where both such groups of children are UK citizens.

lord agnew of oulton: Children in care are amongst the most vulnerable in our society and they should be admitted to the school that is best able to meet their needs. Since 2007, school admission authorities have been required to give looked after children highest priority in their admission arrangements. In 2012, this priority was further extended to previously looked after children. The government also wants to ensure that children adopted from care overseas receive equal highest priority for admission into school as those looked after or previously looked after by a local authority in England. The department is committed to amending the School Admissions Code to achieve that aim. The department is keen to ensure that looked after children are given parity for admission into school as soon as possible, and has asked admission authorities to use their current flexibilities in setting their own admission arrangements to grant children adopted from care overseas second highest admissions priority in their oversubscription criteria.

Children in Care

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children were in care in the last 12 months; how many were adopted during that period; what was the average waiting time for adoption applications to be processed; and what percentage of children currently awaiting adoption have been waiting for longer than 18 months.

lord agnew of oulton: Figures showing the position for children looked after at 31 March 2018 will be published on the 15 November 2018.The latest figures show that the number of children who were looked after as at 31 March 2017 was 72,670.There were 4,350 looked after children adopted during the year ending 31 March 2017. In that period, the average time between the decision the child should be placed for adoption and the child being matched to adopters was eight months. These figures were published in 2017 in table A1, E1 and E2 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017 (SFR 50/2017)’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.Some 2,580 children had a placement order but had not been placed for adoption as at 31 March 2017. 18 per cent (or 460 children) had been waiting 18 months or more since the adoption decision. Figures on the number and percentage of children categorised by other waiting times are published in table E4 of the above statistical publication.

Adoption and Foster Care

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to commission a review of adoption and fostering policy.

lord agnew of oulton: Since 2010 we have taken significant steps to review and reform the way that fostering and adoption services are delivered. In 2016 ‘Adoption: a vision for change’ was published which set out the government’s plans to address challenges in the adoption system over the following four years.In July 2018 we published ‘Fostering better outcomes’ which set out the government commitments to improve the fostering system, in response to the Education Select Committee report into fostering and ‘Foster care in England’, an independent review published in January 2018.We are committed to delivering the commitments set out in these reports, in order to help us to drive improvements across children’s social care.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Allowances

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what accommodation allowance is paid to officers of the House who are required to stay away from home as part of their duties.

lord mcfall of alcluith: All staff employed by the House of Lords Administration are reimbursed for actual accommodation expenses incurred whilst staying away from home as part of their duties. There is no allowance payable.  The arrangements for reimbursement are in accordance with the Staff Handbook.In most cases, if House staff are required to stay away from home at a UK location, they can claim for their accommodation up to the cost of a room with a bath at a three-star hotel or equivalent.If House staff are required to stay away from home at a location outside the UK, in most cases they are reimbursed the actual cost of accommodation up to the value of the prevailing HMRC-authorised room rates.For staff travelling in connection with Select Committee activity staff usually stay in the same hotel as the members they are accompanying, for which actual accommodation costs are reimbursed.The housing costs of the Brussels-based National Parliament Representative (who supports the work of the House of Lords EU Committee and that of other committees in relation to matters of EU policy) are paid on an invoiced basis.Staff travelling in connection with an international assembly are reimbursed according to the rules of that assembly.Staff living outside London are not entitled to any payment towards costs of accommodation if they choose to stay in London when working.

Department for International Trade

EU External Trade: Burma

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the impact of the proposed withdrawal of EUEverything But Arms trade privileges on (1)Burma,(2) the Burmese military, and (3) civilian workers in Burma.

baroness fairhead: We are working with Member States and are in discussions with the Commission on this issue. The assessment must ensure that a thorough consideration of the impacts is made before any decision is taken. Since 2012, when the EU granted Burma duty-free, quota-free market access on “Everything But Arms”, EU imports from Burma rose by almost ten times to €1,558 million in 2017. Most of the EU’s imports are of textiles and apparels, which have created substantial employment opportunities for women in Burma, and which would be subject to tariffs if the EU withdraws ‘Everything But Arms’ preferences. Any decision to suspend preferences would need to be thoroughly assessed, bearing in mind the impact it could have on Burma’s poor.

Overseas Trade: Algeria

lord robathan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current policy regarding trade with Algeria; and what support they provide to companies doing business there.

baroness fairhead: The UK-Algeria trading relationship was worth £1.9 billion in 2017, an increase of 41.7% on 2016.The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) team in Algiers provides support to British businesses, assisted by the Africa Trade Services Unit. DIT Algeria organises trade missions for UK businesses, frequently led by my noble Friend Lord Risby, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Algeria.UK Export Finance (UKEF) has significant capacity to support UK exports to Algeria, with risk appetite of up to £3bn.The UK’s trade policy framework with Algeria is currently covered by the EU-Algeria Association Agreement. The Government is seeking continuity for existing EU free trade agreements as we leave the EU and to replicate the effects of existing agreements as far as possible.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Social Rented Housing: Energy

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what targets the Regulator of Social Housing has introduced to ensure Registered Social Landlords deliver improved energy efficiency in their homes to meet low carbon commitments.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: In 2018, the Government released the The Clean Growth Strategy which set a target to upgrade all fuel poor homes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) grade C by 2030 where practical, cost effective and affordable.The Social Housing Green Paper consultation published this Summer asks what changes to the Decent Homes Standard we should consider, including changes arising from The Clean Growth Strategy.The Regulator of Social Housing’s Home Standard sets out the required outcomes registered providers are expected to meet in terms of decent homes through the Decent Homes Standard.

Energy Performance Certificates

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to modernise energy performance certificates so that home owners and landlords can make informed choices about how best to deliver low carbon homes.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Energy performance certificates (EPCs) include recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of dwellings and other relevant buildings and are regularly updated to include new energy saving technologies. EPCs are subject to regular auditing and a recently revised set of operating requirements designed to ensure appropriate standards. We have also recently published a joint call for evidence with BEIS, which invited views on several suggestions to improve and modernise the EPC system.

Ministry of Defence

Type 45 Destroyers

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fit T45 destroyers with strike length MK 41 vertical launching systems as part of their Power Improvement Project.

earl howe: The Power Improvement Project for the Type 45 Destroyers is separate from the Royal Navy's continuing review of their operational requirements to ensure warships are equipped with an appropriate array of offensive and defensive weapons to enable them to fulfil their operational roles. We will not reveal details of the nature of such considerations as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Disability

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the additional funding announced in the Budget will be used to support disabled claimants in their transition to Universal Credit.

baroness buscombe: At Autumn Budget 2018 we announced that payment of income related legacy benefits (Income Support, income related Employment and Support Allowance and income based Jobseeker’s Allowance) will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. This change will support vulnerable claimants financially when moving to Universal Credit. From April 2019, the amount people with disabilities (and also households with children) can earn before their Universal Credit award begins to be withdrawn – the Work Allowance – will be increased by £1000, meaning they can keep an extra £630 per year. Earlier this year we announced transitional payments for former recipients of Severe Disability Premium (SDP), and protections for those who are receiving SDP as part of their existing benefit entitlement. Claimants will now only move to Universal Credit under managed migration with transitional protection. Those who have already moved to Universal Credit will receive transitional protection back-dated to the start of their Universal Credit claim and will also receive on-going monthly payments. The regulations that include these provisions are currently before Parliament for scrutiny and approval. Universal Credit provides a higher level of support for the most severely disabled people than the benefit it replaces, worth up to £328.32 per month.

Universal Credit

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what process they plan to use to identify vulnerable claimants who will require additional support to transition to Universal Credit.

baroness buscombe: We are committed to delivering managed migration in a way which supports claimants. In 2019, we will have a preparation period before testing and refining our approach with no more than 10,000 claimants from July 2019, to ensure it supports claimants onto Universal Credit, before we take on larger volumes in 2020. As part of this, we are engaging with claimants, charities, experts and other stakeholders, on the design, making sure that it works for everyone and building in safeguards to ensure that vulnerable claimants are fully supported. To complete managed migration successfully, we will continue to engage with key stakeholders, experts and claimants throughout the process. As announced at the Autumn Budget 2018 we will put an extra £1.7bn a year into work allowances, increasing them by £1,000 a year, resulting in 2.4m families keeping substantially more of their earnings before the earnings taper applies. Furthermore, it was announced that payment of Income Support and the income related elements of Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made, effective from July 2020, benefitting 1.1 million households. Claimants will therefore receive one two week run-on payment when being migrated to Universal Credit. This builds upon the similar two week run-on of Housing Benefit that was announced at Autumn Budget 2017, and which was introduced in April this year. We have also improved how our work coaches and case workers view the claimant’s Universal Credit account so they clearly know when a claimant is vulnerable and what support they may need.

Universal Credit

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether legacy benefits provided to claimants transitioning to Universal Credit will come to an end within a fixed time period.

baroness buscombe: We are working collaboratively to ensure that managed migration works for everyone, building in safeguards so that all claimants are fully supported and that we cater for the diverse needs of the different claimant groups, including the most vulnerable, moving to Universal Credit. Using feedback on the draft regulations we have made a change to the regulations, laid in Parliament on 5 November, which propose to give claimants a minimum of three months to make a claim for Universal Credit and set no maximum period in which a claim must be made. With unlimited flexibility to extend claim periods we will work with representative groups to produce guidance that will ensure adequate support for each individual claimant’s needs.In the Autumn Budget 2018 we also announced a further £4.5bn package of support across the next five years. This includes a £1bn package of changes, providing 2 additional weeks of DWP legacy benefits for those moved onto Universal Credit – a one-off non-repayable sum that will provide claimants with extra money during the period before they receive their first Universal Credit payment.

Widowed Parents Allowance

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families with children in full-time education, with a deceased parent,received Widowed Parents Allowance in the tax years (1) 2011–12, (2) 2012–13, (3) 2014–15, and (4) 2015–16.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families which children in full-time education, with a deceased parent,receivedbereavement benefit payments in the tax years (1) 2016–17, and (2) 2017–18.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families with children in full-time education, with a deceased parent, they estimate will receive bereavement benefit payments inthe tax years (1) 2018–19, (2) 2019–20, (3) 2020–21, and (4) 2021–22.

baroness buscombe: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pets: Travel

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their advice in the No Deal Technical Guidance, Taking your pet abroad if there’s no Brexit Deal, published on 24 September, what progress they have made in their discussions with the EU on pet passports; and what advice they plan to provide to owners by the end of November.

lord gardiner of kimble: On 6 November 2018 Defra released updated guidance on pet travel to Europe after Brexit which advised pet owners to contact their vet at least four months before travel – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit This information was issued to the public in a press release statement, as well as being placed on GOV.UK and sent out to pet carriers and other key stakeholders. Official Veterinarians have been contacted separately by email and further information will be published on GOV.UK. When further details are available about pet travel into and out of the UK, they will be published on GOV.UK.

Animal Welfare

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatwas the outcome of the consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill; and when the revised Bill will be published.

lord gardiner of kimble: The summary of the responses to the consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill, including the government's next steps, was published on 7 August 2018 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-animal-welfare-sentencing-and-recognition-of-sentience-bill-2017. I have placed a copy in the Library of the House. Legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.



Animal Welfare Bill - consultation response
(PDF Document, 241.79 KB)

Home Office

Immigrants: Health Services

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to respond to concerns raised by the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association in their briefing published on 26 October on the draft Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2018, and its conclusion that theOrder will (1) be detrimental to the NHS, and (2) constitute a discriminatory form of repeated taxation on migrants.

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to abolish the immigration health surcharge for partners of British or settled citizens who have successfully renewed their spouse visas and shown a commitment to becoming permanent residents in the UK.

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to respond to the campaign by the Royal College of Nursing for abolition of the immigration health surcharge for nursing staff and their dependants.

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to abolish the immigration health surcharge for all NHS employees recruited from overseas.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government does not agree with conclusions set out in the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) briefing document of 26 October and has published a full impact assessment on the potential impact of increasing the immigration health surcharge.The impact assessment can be read at this link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111172995/impactsThe surcharge is intended to represent a fair and proportionate financial contribution to the NHS by migrants, commensurate with their temporary immigration status.Temporary migrants will not have built up the long-term relationship and contribution to the UK that a permanent resident has built up, and will build up, over the course of their lifetime. It is, therefore, the migrant’s immigration status that determines whether they pay the surcharge, not their tax contributions or their profession. The Government recognises however that temporary migrants contribute to the UK economy in a number of ways, including paying income tax and national insurance; these contributions are reflected in the surcharge levels, which are below the average per capita cost to the NHS of treating temporary migrants.The Government has no plans to abolish the surcharge for foreign spouses or partners. Surcharge policy already reflects the special position of those becoming permanent residents of the UK, as the surcharge does not apply to those applying for indefinite leave to remain.The Government values very highly the contribution NHS employees recruited from overseas make to the health system. NHS workers are, however, in no different position to other providers of essential public services. The Government therefore has no plans to exempt them from the surcharge. All NHS nurses will however benefit from a pay increase as set out in the Agenda for Change frameworkThe surcharge has delivered over £600 million in additional funding to the NHS since its introduction in 2015. It enables migrants to access the NHS on the same terms as someone who is ordinarily resident in the UK, from the point of their arrival. We believe it offers access to health care services that are far more comprehensive and at a lower cost than many other countries.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Consumers: Protection

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 27 September (HL10205), what meetings ministers from all departments have held with consumer representatives in relation to the UK’s departure from the EU.

lord callanan: Ministers and officials from across Government have a regular dialogue with stakeholders from sectors across the economy, including consumer bodies, to discuss their priorities as we leave the European Union.Details of Ministerial and senior official meetings on Government business are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.On 13 November I wrote to the Noble Lady regarding consumer bodies. Appended to this letter was a list of HMG Ministerial engagements with consumer bodies that have been published in transparency returns since January 2018. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Treasury

VAT

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many small businesses participate in the VAT Flat-Rate Scheme.

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they conducted an equality impact assessment on the decision to apply Making Tax Digital to small businesses paying VAT using the VAT Flat-Rate Scheme; and if so, whether they will publish that assessment.

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which commercial software available to small businesses using the VAT Flat-Rate Scheme are compliant with Making Tax Digital; and what are the costs of such software to those small businesses.

lord bates: The latest published statistics show that in the last year for which figures are available (2016-17), there were 358,270 businesses operating the VAT Flat Rate Scheme (FRS). There is no separate impact assessment relating to businesses participating in the FRS. An overall Impact Assessment was published on 1 December 2017. MTD is intended to help businesses meet their tax obligations as simply as possible, regardless of whether they operate standard or specialist schemes. While HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot recommend specific software products, they have published details of compatible software on GOV.uk. This will be updated regularly as more MTD software products become available. HMRC has also published guidance within its recent VAT Notice 7/22 on GOV.UK on how to account for the FRS on software that does not have it as a feature.

Credit

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England regarding the case for (1) stress testing the capacity for open ended credit funds to withstand a credit shock, and (2) a review of the options available in the event of a significant decline in market liquidity.

lord bates: The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is an independent body responsible for monitoring and taking action to remove systemic risks to the financial system. The Chancellor sets a remit for the Committee each year related to its objectives. On 29 October the Chancellor set out the latest remit in a letter to the Governor of the Bank of England. Alongside the Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC), the FPC introduced an annual stress test of the largest UK banks and building societies in 2014. The FPC will conduct a comprehensive resilience assessment as part of the 2018 stress test at its meeting on 28 November. The Government supports the use of stress tests as a tool to ensure the ongoing resilience of the financial system.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Local Government: Procurement

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the emphasis local authorities are giving to social value in their commissioning decisions.

lord ashton of hyde: The Civil Society Strategy was developed through engagement with public sector commissioners, procurement and civil society representatives. Evidence provided to the Strategy suggested that the requirements of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 are often treated as an afterthought. Our engagement included focused workshops with a number of local authorities and their stakeholders, to explore opportunities of and barriers to social value in the procurement process. In the strategy, we set out government's long term ambition to grow social value commissioning and strengthen the application of the Act.Officials will continue to engage with the Local Government Association and sector representative bodies to build on our evidence base and help inform policy making during the implementation of the commitments made in the Strategy.

Ministry of Justice

Slavery: Compensation

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manycompensation orders under section 130 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 have been made in respect of offences flagged as modern slavery offences by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years; and what was the (1) total, and (2) average amount of those compensation awards.

lord keen of elie: Modern Slavery was introduced as a specific offence as part of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Therefore, data related to this offence is only available from 2015. Centrally held data relates to the number of individuals sentenced to pay compensation for modern slavery offences. Since 2015, there have not been any individuals ordered to pay compensation as part of their sentence for a modern slavery offence.